Tubeless tire and rim and lock therefor.



F. B. CUMPSTON. TUBELESS TIRE ANDQEEM AND LOCK THEREfOR.

APPLICATION FILED nan, 21. 1911.

] Patented 001;. 2 2', 1918'.

" INVEAIT /I BY 4 Q nnonwns' T WITNESSES 41g? 16/ 1 Me, efficient in operation, and inexpensive to dEST AVAlLABLE COP STATES PATENT OFFICE.

flat a 3- e ms mom or. BLOOMING more. TEX -i -rurn r.nss r nirnnn am ANID LOCK THEREFOR.

To all whom concern Be it known that=-I, FREDERICK B. Comr- STON, a citizen ofthe-United States, and a resident of Blooming Grove, in the county of Navarro and State of Texas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tubeless 'lires" and Rims and Locks Therefor,"of which the following isa-specification.

One of the prmcipalobjectsofmy present invention is to provide an improved tubeless pneumatic tire casing, and 'an'improved 1 rim and locking nieans'therefor, whereby to effectively draw the edges'of the tire-casingtogether to renderthe same air tight.

Another object of theinvention is to provide a tubelesstire casing having an improveu joint or seam upon-which the pres-j sure of the air within the casing will act to assistin retaining an air tight'joi'nt between the edges of' the casing. v

A further object of the invention is toprovide animproved device of the class de- %manufacture'. 1

.With these 1 and. other objects in: view \which will become apparent as the deseripltion proceeds, the invention resides in'th'e construction,1combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter'fmore fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accombanying drawing, in which like characters 13f reference indicate like parts throughout he several figures, of which, Figure 1 represents a View in section taken ransversely through a tire casing-and vrim nd lock therefor, showing the casing in losed position; a

Fig. 2 represents a similar view showing 1e position of the rim and locking device efore the latter is drawn upwardly for cking the casing in air tight positiona Fig. 3 represents a plan view of a portion P'the'under face of the rim and lock; ;Fig. 4 represents a plan view of the porn of the rim, looking at the'under face ereof, through which the'valve forinflatthe tire casing extends; Fig. 5 represents a view similar to Fig. 1, istrating an arrangement in which aplain. Enon-clencher rim is used; iig. 6 represents a view similar to Fig. 2, gstrating the use of the non-clencher rim. Referring more particularly to the draw- 1 I 0 pe ifi at efiettrs Patent Patented Oct. 22,1918. '1"- Application filed Febi'uary 27, 19 17: Serial No. 151,241. I

the'embodiment'shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the casing provided with the usual clencher beads" 6. The tire. is divided centrally around-its base, and the face of one'of the abutting edges-of the tire base is provided with a continuous substantially V-shaped rib 7 adapted to fit when the tire is in closed osition, into a V-shaped groove 8 provided in the opposing face of-the tire base, as indicated clearly-in Fig. 1. l

ing,.the tire casing is indicated at 5, and in The interior surface of the tire alongits base-portionis hollowed or concav'ed', on bothsides of the'joint, as at 9, and the surfaces adjacent the abutting faces of the the base incline downwardly as at .10, whereby when air is pumped into the tire casing,the.

'- pressure of' th'e air will serve to force-the abutting'faces' of the tire together, whereby to aid in establishing an air tight joint between tlie abutting surfaces of the tire base. The same principle .of construction is carried out in the form of tire casing shown in Figs, 5 and 6, which form is devoid of the 'clencher beads 6.

tubeless tire casing, and in the form shown inFigs; 1 and 2, bs Ifim consistsof the sec 1 'tions- 11 and 12 provided at their outer edges witlrthe continuousclencher bead engaging books or flangesl3.'adapted to engage the clencherbead 6 of the tire casing, for securing' the cues-rig. in position. One of the rim sections is provided with a 'V-shaped con-- tinuous tongue or rib 14 on its inner edge,

a a I o a I I use a divided. run in connection with the plate 17 and a locking plate 18. The base plate extends transversely 'ofithe rirnacross the inner face thereof, and at one 8116.18 provided with a transverse beveled hook or tooth-19 adapted to engage in a recess 20 out in the under surface of one .of the rim sections at the base of its clen'cher flange 13. This recess 20. defines anyundercut shoulder 21 against which the hook or tooth 19 en-:

gages. The other rim section is similarly 1 10 .25 suitable point, with an ear 27 which projects of the locking plate is adapted to engage.

. flanges 13, such flanges 13' engaging against f b L Although I have describedth preferred similarly This locking plate is much shorter than the base plate 17, and at its outer end is provided with a transverse bead 24 which rota-- tably fits in a transverse socket 25. formed in the adjacent end of the base plate 17. This end 26 of the base plate curves around the bead 2 L sufiiciently to prevent detachment of the head from the socket. The adjacent portions of the base plate and locking plate are curved outwardly sufliciently to conform. with the curvature of the adjacent portion of the rim.

The construction of the rim shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and of the lock shown therein, is

the same as already described, with the except-ion that the rim in this instance is pro vided with con'cavo-convex outwardly turned flanges 13, instead of the hooked clencher the concaved lateral surfaces of. the tire base to hold the same in position on the rim.

One of the rim sections is provided at'a from the inner edge of therim section into a posite section. This ear 27 is provided with an opening 29 through which a valve tube for inflating the tire casing projects. a

As illustrated in Fig. 3, one of the rim sections carries on its under surface a lug 30 underlying the opposite rim section and pro jecting between-two spaced retaining lugs 31, whereby to prevent circumferential, movement of one rim section relatively. to the other.

In locking parts being positioned as indicated in Fig. 2, the lock is pressed upwardly, whereby the tooth 19 on the base plate will coact with the beveled edge 23 of the locking plate in drawing the sections of the rim together. The final position of the parts is indicated in Fig.

will be forced take the final position in position,

shaped recess 28, formed in the op-- the rim sections together, the

1,- from which it willbe seen that the rim' sections are in tightly locked pO'sitiom-th'e rib 14: of one section .fitting'snugly into' the groove 15 of the otherlsection throughout the entire circumference of the rim.-

It will be noted fromQFigs. 2 and 4, that --the. opposin edges of the tire. base, before.

the rimhas en locked, are s1ightly undercut or beveled to converge towardeach other,

the apices of the thickened portions formed at the abutting edges: of 'the base being in contact. When the rim sections are drawn together, the ofppos'ite 'faces- -of the tire base rmly one against the other to icated in Fig. l,

the resiliency'ofthe-material-oi which the base is formed servlng, in attempting to force the material of the tireintonorrnal I casing, and'the: actionof the rimsect-ions when 1n 1o ;ked' position, in -effecting an air tight jomt between the portions of the tire combination, and,v arrangement. of parts thereof, as do not depart from the spirit of the invention,; and the scope ofthe appended --claim'.

I claim i The combination of a tire having its bust divided along its median line, a rim' divided also along its median line and having sections engagingaiid supporting the sections of the base of the tire,wherebyto equally apportionthe strain of the parts, and means for drawing the rim sections together to connect the same,"the abuttin edges of the base sections of the tire and o the said rim sections havin relatively engaging ribs and recesses the ormerto constitute a fluid-tight joint in the connected position and the lat ter to. protect the joint so formed.

FREDERICK B. CUMPSTOX.

to aid the air pressure within the 

